Around the NL East: Spring training recap

After a wild offseason for the Atlanta Braves, their 2015 spring training has been without any real major news stories. They saw B.J. Upton change his name to Melvin Upton, Jr, Mike Minor miss time with a shoulder injury and Cuban infielder Hector Olivera choose the Dodgers over them in a late offseason free agent sweepstakes. They also pulled off a last minute move in trading for starter Trevor Cahill on Thursday.

Nick Markakis has returned from neck surgery and is playing well. They have also seen very strong springs from some unexpected players. Eric Young, Jr. – formerly of the Mets – has hit 22-of-68 (.324) with seven steals, 13 runs and eight RBI. Jace Peterson, a 24-year-old second baseman, is 21-of-62 (.339) with 10 walks and 11 runs. And Pedro Ciriaco, another second baseman, is 20-for-55 (.364) with 14 RBI.